Flushing device for dental bridges

ABSTRACT

A flushing device for permanent dental bridges comprising a flushing head having a flat front surface provided with a transverse discharge slot, and a tapered neck, with an opening through the neck providing a channel leading to the discharge slot. The neck is connected to a liquid source adapted to direct liquid under pressure through the discharge slot. The flushing head is adapted to be pressed against the inner surfaces of the artificial teeth and of the corresponding gingiva to adjust its contour to the teeth and gingiva so that the discharge slot comes into registry with the interspace between the teeth and the gingiva. The base of the flushing head is further provided with a transverse support ledge adapted to abut the bottom surfaces of the teeth to facilitate registration of the discharge slot with the interspace.

United States Patent Hatzitheodorou May 13, 1975 FLUSHING DEVICE FOR DENTAL BRIDGES [57] ABSTRACT [76] Inventor: George Christou Hatzitheodorou,

R3 Elderts New York A flushing device for permanent dental bridges comprising a flushing head having a flat front surface pro- [22] Filed: June 4, 1974 vided with a transverse discharge slot, and a tapered neck, with an o enin throu h the neck rovidin a [21] Appl' 476202 channel leading F0 the dischar ge slot. The deck is cinnected to a liquid source adapted to direct liquid [52] US. Cl. 128/232 under pressure through the discharge slot. The flush- [51] A6lm 1/00 ing head is adapted to be pressed against the inner sur- [58] Field of Search l28/229-232 faces of the artificial teeth and of the corresponding 128/239-24l 245 62 A, 248 gingiva to adjust its contour to the teeth and gingiva so that the discharge slot comes into registry with the in- [56] References Cited terspace between the teeth and the gingiva. The base UNITED STATES PATENTS of the flushing head is further provided with a trans- 1494.809 5 1924 Sahr 128/232 verse support ledge P b the botmm 556,041 10/1925 Simpson I l M 128/239 faces of the teeth to facilitate registration of the dis- 1573,749 2/1926 Ross v i 2. [28/239 Charge Slot with mterspam 2595,49] 5/1952 Schweikert 128/248 Primary E.raminerlsawrence W. Trapp Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Sydney B. Schlessel 17 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FLUSHING DEVICE FOR DENTAL BRIDGES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION a. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of dental hygiene and has for its objective the provision of a flushing device for permanent dental bridges whereby food particles and other foreign matter which become lodged in the interspace between the gingiva or gum line and the top surfaces of the artificial teeth of the bridge, in the course of eating, chewing, etc., can be dislodged and forced out of these crevices by liquid under pressure, and thereby be washed out of the wearers mouth, so that the area is quickly and thoroughly cleansed.

b. Prior Art As is well known in the art, dental bridges, constituting partial dentures, that is to say, replacement of one or more natural teeth, that have been lost by the patient through decay, accident or other causes, by artificial teeth, are usually installed in the patients mouth by either removable or permanent bridges, depending upon the number of teeth to be replaced, the location and the desirability of the alternate prosthesis. This invention is concerned only with permanent bridges since, obviously, removable ones can be removed from the mouth for cleansing of the area. In the construction of permanent bridges the bridges are permanently attached to, and supported by, the natural teeth located on either side of the area of the missing teeth, with the top surfaces of the artificial intermediate teeth fitting into the intermediate area but spaced from the bottom surface of the wearers gingiva or gums, thereby leaving spaces and crevices thereinbetween into which food particles and other matter may be packed and wedged in the course of eating and chewing. rendering them difficult to dislodge and remove.

In the present state of the art ordinary mouth rinsing and the use of dental floss, as recommended by dentists, fail to do a proper job inasmuch as many such food particles are so tightly wedged within the crevices that to dislodge and remove them becomes difficult and thorough cleansing of the area almost impossible without dental assistance. Various dental cleansing appliances now in use are equally ineffective for the purposes indicated, since they are directed, structurally and functionally, to dislodge foreign matter from between adjoining teeth, and at the gum lines, but are incapable of adequately flushing interspaces between artificial teeth of a bridge and the gums above them.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by my invention which provides a flushing device adapted to be disposed against the inner surfaces of the artificial teeth and of the corresponding gums, and provided with a transverse slot adapted to come into registry with the interspace between the teeth and the gums, the slot being in communication with a liquid source through an interconnecting tube, whereby liquid is forced from the liquid source under pressure through this discharge slot and through the interspace area to the malar area of the mouth, dislodging the foreign particles and forcing them out of the interspace and crevices into the mouth proper, from which they can be washed out of the mouth.

It is therefore the principal object of my invention to provide a flushing device, for permanent dental bridges, having a flushing head adapted to be disposed under pressure against the inner side of the bridge and corresponding gums so that its discharge slot is in registry with the void between the artificial teeth and the corresponding gums, and connected to a liquid source, whereby liquid, under pressure, is directed through the discharge slot and through the interspace to dislodge and remove food particles and other foreign matter wedged and caught thereinbetween.

A second important object of my invention lies in the provision ofa flushing device of the type described and provided with a discharge slot having a width equal to the length of the interspace so as to reach all areas equally and simultaneously.

A third important object of my invention lies in the provision of a flushing device as above described provided with a support ledge adapted to abut the bottom surfaces of the artificial teeth so as to fit the discharge slot exactly to the interspace.

A fourth important object of my invention lies in the provision ofa flushing device as above described which is adapted to force either liquid or air through the interspace described.

Still another important object of my invention lies in the provision of a flushing device as above described which is adapted to be used with a variety of liquid sources.

Yet another important object of my invention lies in the provision of a flushing device as above described, which is inexpensive to make, is durable and is simple to operate.

These and other salient object, advantages and functional features will become more readily apparent from an examination of the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a crosssectional view of a preferred embodiment of my invention disposed against the wearers permanent bridge, showing how the flushing head follows, by use of pressure, the contour of teeth and gingiva, and showing direction of liquid flow;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the flushing head of my invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 2',

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing a modified form of flushing head; and

FIG. 5 is a side view of a further modified form of my flushing device, shown attached to a different liquid source.

Similar reference charactes designate similar parts throughout the different views.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Illustrative of the embodiment shown by FIGS. l3, my flushing device 10 comprises a flushing head 12 which is substantially oblong in shape and which tapers rearwardly to form a reduced neck 14. The neck 14 is provided with an opening 16 leading into a channel 18 within the head 12, which broadens out within the head 12 to form an enlarged, flattened channel 20, as shown by FIGS. 1-3, the channel 20 opening into a flat, front surface 22 to define a transverse discharge slot 24. A facing 26, provided with a corresponding transverse slot 28 is attached to the front surface 22 of the head 12 by means of a peripheral flange 30 extending rearwardly to engage the upper and lower surfaces of the head 12, as seen in FIG. 1, the facing 26 being further provided with a transverse ledge 32 extending forwardly of the bottom edge of the facing 26 and at right angles thereto. The head 12, neck 14 and facing 26 are preferably made of molded rubber or plastic which is sufficiently resilient so that the facing 26 and front surface 22 will change shape to conform to the contour of the surfaces against which they will be pressed, as will hereinafter appear, or they made be made of any other similarly suitable material. While in the embodiment shown the head 12 and facing 26 are formed separately, and united as described, it is within the scope of the invention that they may be formed as a single, integral unit, as is well known in the art, molded or otherwise formed.

In the embodiment of FIG. I the flushing head 12 is connected to a compressible syringe bulb 34 by means of the intermediate connection tube 36, after the bulb 34 has been filled with water or other solution to be used for the cleansing operation, as will hereinafter be described.

OPERATION OF THE INVENTION In the operation of my invention the syringe bulb 34 is first filled with water or cleansing solution through the tube 36, and the tube 36 then connected to the neck 14 of the flushing head 12, as seen in FIG. 1. The flushing head 12 is then placed against the inner surface of the dental bridge, (shown in FIG. 1 by the tooth 38) so that the ledge 32 abuts the bottom surface of the teeth 38, with the facing 26 pressed against both the inner surfaces of the teeth 38 and the gingiva or gums 40 to follow their contour, bringing the transverse discharge slot 28 into registry with the interspace 42 between the teeth 38 and gums 40, as shown. With the flushing head 12 so disposed the bulb 34 is then compressed, forcing the water or solution contained therein through the discharge slot 28 and through the interspace 42 in the direction of the wearers cheek 44, as shown by the arrows of FIG. 1, dislodging any food particles or other foreign matter which had been wedged into the interspace 42 in the course of eating and chewing, and forcing them out into the mouth proper, from which they can easily be eliminated. The process of discharge is continuously repeated with continuous compressions of the bulb 34 until the interspace 42 is throughly cleansed and all particles removed therefrom. It is to be noted that the surface 22 and facing 26 are shown to be flat, but, because of the resiliency of the material they conform to the surfaces against which they are pressed, as shown by FIG. 1. Alternately, the surface 22 and facing 26 may be made originally to fit any contoured area of the mouth to which a permanent dental bridge is attached, either in separate parts or as a single unit, and the spacing between the ledge 32 and discharge slot 28 custom made to fit any size or height of artificial teeth 38, so that the discharge slot 28 will readily come into registry with the designated inter space 42. Further, the flushing head 12 may be made to fit against any size or shape of dental bridge. It is also to be noted, in connection with my invention, that, instead of water or cleansing solution, the bulb 34 may be left empty, if desired, and air forced therefrom through the discharge slot 28 to dislodge food particles,

or. alternately, by release of the compression of the bulb 34 air may be sucked through the discharge slot 28 from the interspace 42, to dislodge food particles.

MODIFIED EMBODIMENT In the modification shown by FIG. 4 the inner area of the flushing head 12' may be molded or otherwise formed with spaced, parallel partitions 46 defining a series of parallel channels 48 in the enlarged channel 20, thereby directing the liquid or air into more forceful streams. This is especially important for larger dental bridges for greater support and efficiency.

FURTHER MODIFICATION In FIG. 5, there is shown a further modification of my invention wherein the tube 36, instead of being connected to the compressible syringe bulb 34, is connected directly to a source of water supply, such as the faucet 50 of a water line. In this embodiment the neck 14 is provided with a valve 52, adapted by finger pressure to selectively control the flow and pressure of water coming from the faucet 50, or cut it off completely, with the faucet 50 open during the procedure. This form of the invention is not restricted to faucets 50 but the tube 36 may be connected, instead, to any type of liquid-propelling pressure tank or housing, as is well known in the art.

Hence, it is to be recognized that the embodiments shown and described are by way of illustration and not of limitation, and that various changes may be made in the construction, composition and arrangement of parts without limitation upon or departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein, all of which are claimed.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A flushing device for a dental bridge comprising a flushing head tapering rearwardly to define a reduced neck, the head provided with a broad, substantially flat, frontal surface for abutment against the side of the bridge and the corresponding gum and provided intermediately with a transverse slot adapted to come in registry with the interspace between the bridge and the gum, a central channel disposed through the head to provide intercommunication between the neck and the discharge slot, with the channel enlarging in the direction of the discharge slot to the configuration thereof, a liquid source adapted for discharge under pressure, and a flexible tube connecting the liquid source with the neck of the flushing head, whereby liquid is directed through the discharge slot under pressure to flush the interspace.

2. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the frontal surface of the flushing head being further provided with a transverse ledge along its base extending forwardly of the fontal surface.

3. A flushing device as described in claim 2, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head provided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams.

4. A flushing device as described in claim I, a facing mounted upon the frontal surface of the flushing head and provided with a transverse slot adapted to come in registry with the discharge slot of the flushing head.

5. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the facing being further provided with a transverse ledge along its base extending forwardly of the flushing head and facing.

.6. A flushing device as described in claim 5, the flushing head and facing comprising a single integral unit.

7. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the liquid source comprising a compressible bulb.

8. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the liquid source comprising a compressible bulb.

9. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the liquid source comprising a water line.

10. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the liquid source comprising a water line.

11. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing comprising a single integral unit.

12. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the flushing head composed ofa resilient material whereby the frontal surface conforms to the contour of the bridge and gums when pressed against them.

13. A flushing head as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing composed of a resilient material whereby the facing conforms to the contour of the bridge and gums when pressed against them.

14. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the frontal surface of the flushing head being molded to fit the contour of the dental bridge and corresponding gum to which it is to be applied.

15. A flushing head as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing being molded to fit the contour of the dental bridge and corresponding gum to which it is to be applied.

16. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head provided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams.

17. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head provided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams. 

1. A flushing device for a dental bridge comprising a flushing head tapering rearwardly to define a reduced neck, the head provided with a broad, substantially flat, frontal surface for abutment against the side of the bridge and the corresponding gum and provided intermediately with a transverse slot adapted to come in registry with the interspace between the bridge and the gum, a central channel disposed through the head to provide intercommunication between the neck and the discharge slot, with the channel enlarging in the direction of the discharge slot to the configuration thereof, a liquid source adapted for discharge under pressure, and a flexible tube connecting the liquid source with the neck of the flushing head, whereby liquid is directed through the discharge slot under pressure to flush the interspace.
 2. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the frontal surface of the flushing head being further provided with a transverse ledge along its base extending forwardly of the fontal surface.
 3. A flushing device as described in claim 2, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head provided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams.
 4. A flushing device as described in claim 1, a facing mounted upon the frontal surface of the flushing head and provided with a transverse slot adapted to come in registry with the discharge slot of the flushing head.
 5. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the facing being further provided with a transverse ledge along its base extending forwardly of the flushing head and facing.
 6. A flushing device as described in claim 5, the flushing head and facing comprising a single integral unit.
 7. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the liquid source comprising a compressible bulb.
 8. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the liquid source comprising a compressible bulb.
 9. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the liquid source comprising a water line.
 10. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the liquid source comprising a water line.
 11. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing comprising a single integral unit.
 12. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the flushing head composed of a resilient material whereby the frontal surface conforms to the contour of the bridge and gums when pressed against them.
 13. A flushing head as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing composed of a resilient material whereby the facing conforms to the contour of the bridge and gums when pressed against them.
 14. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the frontal surface of the flushing head being molded to fit the contour of the dental bridge and corresponding gum to which it is to be applied.
 15. A flushing head as described in claim 4, the flushing head and facing being molded to fit the contour of the dental bridge and corresponding gum to which it is to be applied.
 16. A flushing device as described in claim 1, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head proVided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams.
 17. A flushing device as described in claim 4, the enlarged area of the channel within the flushing head provided with a series of spaced, parallel partitions, whereby liquid discharged therethrough is divided into a plurality of separate jet streams. 